Lucien in the heart of downtown specializes in fine dining where all aesthetics are centred on the food. Restaurateur Simon Bowers opened this space in the former Pravda vodka bar after a lengthy hiatus from the restaurant scene, bringing in Chef Scot Woods to head the kitchen. Woods creates classic dishes with modern twists, layering complementing flavours in unconventional pairings.
The lake huron whitefish is an excellent local dish that features a superb cut of light, flaky meat with parsnip, beets, pickled onion and horseradish. We also had the pleasure of trying the choucroute garni, consisting of rillette, pork belly, sausage, onions and swag mustard.
Though you won’t see much in terms of actual food preparation, there is literally a science behind it. The modernization of classics we mentioned above is largely due to Chef Woods’ complex experimentation with the dishes, accenting each main with a unique flair. You’ll see what we mean when you go there for Winterlicious.
Lucien, 36 Wellington St. East, 416-504-9990
